Wichita eagle., 1887-05-06
THE MILL CHIMNEY.

Twas when was counting Katie that the
eide It n roin~ to tel lou about hap
nened. But for that same accident don't
think Katie an would be man an wife this
day, for YOU see my father was set again the
match, Katie being only laborer's daughter,
while he himself was foreman in the mills,
getting good wages and thought a deal of by
his employers. An if it wasn't for Katie
don't think I'd be here now to tell you about
it. for twas she that saved my life, through
hitting on a plan that never once came into
the heads of me or of my comrades-uve, or
Of those that you'd have thought would know
better than any of us.
was not brought up to my fathers trade,
having been taken when young by brother
of nv mothers, master bricklayer wing III
the town. When my uncle died [ came home
TO Lisgarvan for q bit, just to see my father,
and finding that they were at work on the
new buildings at the mills l looked for Ell
ployment there, an got 1t at once. LIS: ;'rva'i
mill is -four mill, an pretty place It was
in those days, with the river running Just ~
the old red brick buildings, and the big water
wheel always going round an round The
river falls into larger one little 'oT,er
down. an the tide comes up as far @s tue
mill. so It's in boats that most OF the c,rn Is
brought in an the -four carried away. Iisat
half so pretty place now; there are big
whitewashed buildings along side OF the old
brick ones. the big wheel is stopped, ai' you
hear the whirr of the engines instead OF the
sound of the water. But they makes power
of money there an gives a deal Of employ
ment.
As was saying, | got taken on as brick
LAYER Kate's father was working there too,
an l used to see her bringing him bis dinner,
and after bit | began To think that Id like
to have her bringing me mine too. She was
as pretty a girl then as you'd see anywhere
she's good looking to this day-an' l soon be-
came that fond of her that I'd have done
ANYTHING almost to get her. She herself was
willing enough, twas my father that made
the difficulty. He was proud man, as proud
in his way as any gentleman, an he was right
down mad at the notion of my marrying a
laborer's daughter To be sure was earning
good wages. an might have married without
asking any ones leave if I'd been SO minded,
but didn't like to go again the old man that
had always been good TO me. Besides, Katie
was just as proud as himself, an would have
nothing to say to me unless he was satisfied
i ROJ tue IltioCSi w opouh W hiiLis pOo ouiS
'twasn't bit of USE "How would you like,
sir" he says to the master, "if l had a daugh-
ter, to have Master Philip take up with her,
an wouldn't that be the same thin.,| l
believe that the master didn't think it would
be all the same, but my father wouldn't hear
reason from him any more than from me; so
Katie an / had just nothing for it lat to
wait in the hope of his coming rounl: an
very little hope we had of that same.
As we were putting IN a steam engine in
the mill, we had OF course to have a biz
chimney, an we got a man down from town
TO build it-one of them chaps that build
chimneys an nothing else, an thinks nobody
knows anything about it but themselves |
was working along with him, and indeed
twas that built the most of it. an right
good job it was. Twas finished by Christ
mas-ten years ago this Christmas coming
oI-all but the lightning conductor, and that
was not put up owing to the masters want
ing to make inquiries when he'd go TO Len
don an to see for himself what would le The
best kind 20 use The master was a scientific
sort OF a gentleman, an had ideas of biz own
sometimes they d be better than othei' peo-
pies sometimes may be not so good. Al any
rate there was delay about the conductor,
an IN the meantime the engines Were at
work, an the big chimney was smoking away
like blaZes Mr. Brown, the strange work
man, had gone away, saying, very conde-
scending like, that he was sure Jim Forde
that was mel would he able 10 fasten tie rod
to the chimney as well as be could do it him
self. He took all his scaffolding with bun,
but before le went away he fixed beam
with pulley to it into the top of the rhim,
new. an left long rope hanging through it,
so that a man could be hoistel up a, any
time, an there the rope hung dangling. week
after week until the master come home.
bringing the rod along with him.
Once il had come there was no good losing.
any more time in fixing it, so one SATURDAY.
afternoon in January, up went on plank,
slung securely at the end OF the rope, my tools
along with me; an settled myself astride OH
the stone coping. Twas rather late in the
day, but the morning had heen TOO wet an
stormy to work, an the master was u I'M
patient to get the job done as if it hadn't been
himself that was hindering it all this tinre.
was as much at home atop of the chimney as
| was on the ground, an worked ON without
once looking down, until my job was fin she'd,
an l was putting up my tools. Then, all of a
sudden, heard u rafting noise, an looking
over, | see the plank going down very fast.
l called out, "Hullo there! send that up gain
will your but the only answer / got aas
loud laugh, for all the world like Sills Jerry
the natural's; and sure enough there he was
standing by the windIass. jumping an ella ping
his hands. looked about for the man whose
business 1t was to y-ianage the windlas> but
not sigp of him was there an i'll a minute |
heard the rattle of the pulley again, an saw
that the rope was running through it in the
wrong direction. / made grab at it, bu.
twas jerked out OF my hand, an before
Sould catch it again the end had slipped
through, an there | was. more than q hun
dred feet from the ground, not knowing how
In the world / was to get down, an Jerry
dancing an captT1ng below. calling out
"Come down and thrash me now, Mr. Forde
won't your Then l remembered that a few
days before, had found this boy annoying
Katie, an had given him cut with a switch
I had in my hand. He had skunk away with
out word at the time, but it seems he re
membered the blow, and took this way OF
being revenged.
Well, at first was scarcely frightened, ex
pecting. somehow, that, once the people below
knew Of the fix | was in they'd find some way
or other of getting me out of it. But when
come to think of it, deuce a bit of a way could
hit on myself, an sure l knew more about
ehimneys than any one in the place.
Twas getting late too; there wouldn't be
much more than another half hour of day
light, an the wind was rising-I could heal
It VIII sting through the trees.
BY this time people knew what had hap
pened. an a crowd was collecting [ coulI
nee them coming from all parts. for Of course
tEad view all about
Isaw boy 60 up TO the door OF the count,